Restaurant 1635

This privately owned 17th century Grade II listed building rubs shoulders with the River Dane in the attractive village of Cranage, near Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. In 2004 it underwent a major refurbishment and now offers a convenient and civilised watering hole for those in need of sustenance, refreshment or rest as they pass on their way to or from Manchester, Chester, Knutsford, Congleton, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent. After the living hell of that stretch of the M6 there could hardly be a more welcoming place to call a break.

For weddings it is ideal, holding a civil licence and ensuring the back-up of a team well qualified by experience in these and other matters where discretion and good taste are paramount. The hub of the house is without doubt the Restaurant 1635, named as you may have guessed after the date the house was built. Today the house is a highly skilled combination of the charm given to it by the 15th century, and the addition of modern and comfortable facilities.

The mere mention of English and Brasserie food in the same breath tends to generate thoughts of food that is soothing and restful - no culinary challenges imposed by a chef on the way to Michelinville. The menu opens with starters of pork rillette, rosti potato and black pudding stack topped with fried egg and bacon, a Chinese duck salad with finely sliced spring onions, cucumber and shredded duck, encased in a flour tortilla with a honey and soy sauce dressing. A smoked salmon bagel offers a toasted bagel filled with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Amongst the main courses on offer are steaks, fillet, sirloin and rib-eye from 8oz-14oz, all served with tomatoes, chunky chips, mushrooms and onion rings, salmon Wellington, rack of lamb and breast of chicken, homemade fish pie, and a tomato and basil risotto.

I was once party to an argument over whether English cooking was intended to accommodate two courses rather than three, unlike the French and given our propensity to substantial helpings. But up north they have substantial appetites, given the weather and - until recently - the inclination to manual toil, and puddings are not a problem. The sticky toffee pudding was invented not a hundred miles from Holmes Chapel, at Cartmel, and here it is heading the menu. Amongst the supporting cast is a vanilla pod crème brûlée, a classic citrus lemon tart embellished with mincemeat, and a homemade raspberry cheesecake.

The traditional Sunday carvery is akin to going to church, a thing they still do up in Cheshire and places north. Start with a hot and sour prawn salad, served with a delicious chilli jam sauce, followed by the traditional roast topside of beef with Yorkshire pudding, approaching the afternoon siesta or bracing walk depending upon your attitude to life with a substantial portion of homemade cherry trifle.

Though not a cocktail man myself I recognise the need in others, who would certainly not be disappointed by the range on offer. With a well travelled wine list the stage is complete for the hub of the house to provide that essential ingredient to most occasions, a well presented and attractive meal.